Problems with 2002 Ford F-150 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford f-150. while driving 65 mph on the highway, the spark plugs stripped out of the engine block. there were no prior warnings. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for repair. instead, he simply noticed the spark plug sticking out from the top of the hood. the vehicle is able to be driven, but it rides very roughly. the failure mileage was 148,000.

Spark plug blow out in 2002 ford triton engine. in past 3 years have had 2 sparkplugs blow out while traveling approx 65mph. problem corrected by retapping and replacing the plug at approx $700 repair each. *tr

I was driving along mn7 on my way home. i stopped at a 4 way stop. when it was my turn to go, i started to accelerate and then my #5 spark plug blew out of the cylinder head. this has happened before. one may 4th 2008, #3 and #4 blew out and it cost me $2,000 to fix this. after doing some searching on the internet, it appears that a lots of ford f150 owners are having this problem and ford will do nothing to fix it. *tr

I was driving and felt and heard a pop in the engine compartment. i pulled off the road thinking it was a tire blow out. once i got out and checked the tires i started the engine again. it sounded like there was no exhaust manifold. i had to get it towed to a service station. i later found out that it blew out a spark plug out of the head and split the coil and possibly damaged another coil. it has not been repaired yet. i am very dissatisfied with the situation. i have done research and found thousands and thousands of other people having the same problem. owners of these vehicles should not have to pay out thousands of dollars for a ford design error. *tr

2002 f-150 ford 4.6 v-8 spark plug ejection. first time happened on june 20 2008 in the number 3 cylinder truck showing 160,000 kms. i removed the head sent it to machine shop to be repaired. 11 months later(182000) the heli-coil that was installed came out with the spark plug. removed the head and installed reman head (on right side) during the spring of 2010 i started to loose compression on all cylinders, ranging from 0-90 lbs and the best cylinder at 120 lbs) brought it to a ford dealer, and results showed leaking was around spark plugs. ford declared i need a new engine. i am lucky enough to be able to do my own repairs. i purchased a used engine from a wrecker and installed @ 190000kms in july 2010. i have spent over $4000.00 on this problem, and i am not dumb enough to change spark plugs when the engine is hot, i use anti-seize when installing, and torque as ford recommends! ford needs to fess up to this issue and offer some sort of recall program. i'm sure that my repair bills would have been double if i had to pay for labor. *tr

Normal driving conditions on the freeway - spark plug discharged out of the motor. vehicle towed to nearest auto repair shop. to repair, the hole for the spark plug in the aluminum head was rethreaded using a standard helicoil kit. two spark plug holes have been replaced at a cost of $1100 per hole for parts and labor. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford f150. the contact stated that the sparks plugs were loosening and stripping off the treads. the spark plugs were also detaching from the vehicle. he notified the ford dealer and they stated that there was nothing wrong with the spark plugs flying off the vehicle. when the spark plugs detach, sparks fly. the failure occurs whenever the vehicle is started and before moving. the failure always occurs with the number three cylinder. the failure mileage was 50,000. updated 07/29/08. *lj updated 08/05/08. *jb

My 2002 ford f-150 extended cab 5.4litre pickup blew a spark plug out of the number 3 cylinder. i called the local dealer to inquire as to the price of replacing an exhaust gasket as this is what the noise sounded like. the service adviser after hearing the make model and size engine and year of the truck said, "no you did not blow the exhaust gasket, you blew a spark plug out of the head". i was astounded as to how he could make a diagnosis of this type as i had never even heard of such an occurrence. the cost would be a minimum of $850.00. after going on the internet this seems to be a prevalent problem. *tr

The # 3 spark plug shot out of the my ford f150 5.4 v8 triton engine. there are not enough threads to hold this in correctly. this needs to be recalled by ford. *tr

Blew out two spark plugs and almost got rearended on the highway by a tractor trailer. *tr

The #4 spark plug blew out of my 2002 ford f150. it happened twice within 2 weeks of each other. *tr

Driving 2002 ford f-150 and suddenly engine lost power and made popping sounds. this happened on very busy street nearly got rear-ended as power dramatically fell off. checked engine and spark plug was blown out and coil was destroyed above the spark plug right underneath fuel rail. stranded on side of busy road for 2 hours until vehicle was towed to dealer. dealer had to use heliocoil and replaced coil costing approximately $600. *tr

Plug blown out of head!!!!!!! cost 250 dollars to fix.......... *tr

Spark plug ejection on 2002 ford f150 5.4l v-8 engine. *tr

Apparently the nhtsa must need more complaints or a death to investigate this issue. second pending fix 9-23-2009 95,000. after having read all these complaints and reliving the same problems again through this website, and i'm sure many more undocumented complaints. i am now on my second fix. first time 3 spark plugs through the engine. had extended warranty so ford did a band aid fix ( surprise ) now here we are a year later and we need surgery $4900 just to put a new head on one side. what is being done to hold ford accountable for a known defect. the opportunity for fire and/or death is very high and yet this problem is not important to anyone except for letting ford get rich on their known defect. sad gov site this is just a vent page never to handled. *tr

I was returning from work on 1/2/08 when my 2002 ford f-150 (triton 5.4l) began to pop and run rough, i smelled gasoline in the cab of the truck and pulled right over, upon looking at the engine i noticed the #3 plug lying on top of the engine, it had blown out. this plug was factory installed and had never been removed from the engine.*cn

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford f150. while driving approximately 60 mph, the driver suddenly heard a loud noise coming from the engine compartment. she initially thought that the muffler failed. the vehicle did not stall or overheat. she drove the vehicle to a mechanic, who stated that a spark plug blew out due to the aluminum head on the engine. the mechanic performed a healie core and replaced the plug. the vehicle drove normally for over a year before the failure recurred. while driving 65 mph, the contact heard a popping noise coming from the engine. she drove approximately one mile and then had the vehicle towed to the ford dealer. the mechanic stated that the vehicle had a defective cylinder, which caused it to blow out the spark plugs. the mechanic further stated that it was a very common issue and no recall was available. the contact is waiting for a call back from a ford supervisor. she believes that ford should be responsible for the repair. the vehicle has not yet been repaired. the failure mileage was 70,000 and current mileage was 98,000.

Vehicle popped out a spark plug from the #7 cylinder upon starting vehicle. spark plug was found on the intake manifold, coil still providing spark. unbrunt fuel mixture was being vented from the cylinder into the engine compartment. i am concerned about fire hazard. *tr

Spark plug blow out in 2002 ford f150. spark plugs blow out and fuel vapor seeps out. no fire on my car, but very well could be. known problem ford refuses to recall. jack *tr

Vehicle started making loud noise under the hood, turned out to be a stripped spark plug hole in the cylinder head that led to complete replacement of head. dealership stated this was the 4th one this year, always 2002 model, 5.4 liter engine, always right side cylinder head. if a dealership in a town of less than 600 people has a failure rate this high, how big is this problem nation wide? *tr

2002 ford f-150 5.4l v-8 engine has a blown spark plug, ford refuses to accept responsibility for the head failure. they make a kit from a 1987 or so escort that had the same problem and they fixed those vehicles. *tr

#3 s parkplug blew out of head and also broke coil on plug. ford service shop installed helicoil to fix problem and replaced coil on plug. also had ford service look at noisy ac blower motor fan and it was also bad. vehicle is a 2002 ford f150 supercrew 5.4l with only 28,500 on it. did not keep parts. vehicle out of warranty but i called customer relations and they only covered about 1/3 of cost to repair spark plug problem and none of the ac blower. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford f150. the contact stated that the spark plug injection on the number three cylinder is defective. the vehicle began spilling raw fuel into the engine compartment. he has taken his vehicle to the dealer and they stated that this is something that just happens and the vehicle is not covered under warranty. currently, the vehicle is at the dealer, where it has been for eleven days. the current and failure mileages were 104,000. the consumer provided for repairs and a letter from ford motor company referencing the defect. updated 08/07/07 *tr

In the middle of july of 07, my wife, granddaughter and i were coming home from vacation in idaho, by york, ne. the truck was all of a sudden running rough. i was unable to find a mechanic to let me know what was wrong. i had to drive the vehicle home. i called my son in idaho, who is a mechanic and he listened to the vehicle over the phone. he told me that it sounded like a spark plug had blown out. i looked and saw the plug on top of the engine. i called around and found out it was going to cost over 2000.00 for the job. then i found out that ford had made a kit for it. in over 40 years of driving i have never heard of such a thing. if ford made a kit for it, then it seems to me that they should either fix the problem or inform customers about it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford f150 harley davidson. on january 3, 2008, a spark plug blew out. on may 31, 2008, while at a car wash, the contact heard a loud noise. the vehicle was turned off and towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the same spark plug from the solenoid had blown again, which also blew the engine head. the repair is expected to cost between $2,200, and $5,000. also, in december of 2007, the sunroof motor shorted and no longer works. she was informed that the repair would cost $1,000, and has not used the sunroof since. the current and failure mileages were 143,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford f-150 harley davidson edition. the contact stated that the spark plugs have been backing out. as a result, the failure has blown the coil and damaged the head, which needs to be replaced. the dealer has witnessed this failure before, but cannot offer an explanation. according to a site that the contact visited, this has been a failure with the supercharged vehicles. he has notified ford, but they have not yet responded. the engine size was unknown. the current mileage is 50,000 and failure mileage was 49,885. updated 06/08/07. *jb

76000 miles ford f150 4.2l v6 with a p0174 code replaced intake manifold gasket ,maf sensor. $750 dollars later truck runs fine but was told by the mechanic this will happen again ! first and last ford i will have . *ak

Ford f 150 number 3 spark plug blew out of the cylinder head. 2002 with 90000 miles. *jb

On april 17, i noticed a whistling sound coming from the engine, but could not find the source of the sound, and thought it was a vacuum line leak. i started the truck on the morning of april 14 and i heard a loud popping sound followed by a small black cloud, upon examining under the hood, i found the #3 spark plug on the passenger side had blown out of the hole and the coil had been blown off with it, breaking the plastic that had a steel insert that was screwed down to the block. i tried to replace the spark plug, but could not get it started in to the threads on the head. i found out that o'reily's sells a cylinder head repair kit # 42025 specifically for this problem, it had a insert that you screwed into the head and it was threaded on the inside to accept a extended length spark plug that was included in the kit, i tried this kit @ $64 dollars plus the new coil @ $43, upon completing the work with the kit and the new coil installed, i started the truck and still had the same whistling problem and was losing compression, i contacted a local mechanic, and found out from him that this is a very common problem and he see this same problem once every two weeks or so, i took the truck to him and he worked on it for approx. 6 hours and has the problem fixed, however, he said he couldn't promise that this is not going to happen again, to the same plug or others. if ford knows there is a problem why won't anybody make them fix it and make it right for the little guy (consumers?) *tr

I have a 2002 ford f-150 with 65,000 miles on it. it is the 4.2 liter v-6 that has always been taken care of. the motor threw a rod and needed to be replaced and stopped with a loud banging and the cost was 5,000 for a new long block by local ford dealership. i have looked on the internet and seen hundreds of folks having to have their same v-6 engine go out prematurely. from 40,000 to 100,000 miles. the plastic intake gaskets are faulty and it gets coolant on the spark plug in cylinder and motor goes out by throwing a rod. ford does not accept any responsibility for this lemon engine that seems to have many design flaws starting from 1997 when they started putting it in their vehicles. *tr updated 09/19/07 *tr

On my ford f-150 truck the #3 head blew the spark plug out. this resulted in me needing to tow the vehicle and have a heli-coil done to it. i have read numerous complaints of the same thing being reported over and over at comsumeraffairs.com i also know of 7 other people within the des moines, iowa metro who have had the same problem. it cost me approximately $500.00 plus reantal vehicle expenses, which i haven't recieved the complete bill for yet.*ak

My wife was driving in the car pool lane during rush hour traffic when the number three spark plug was ejected from the head of my 2002 ford f150 lightning. my wife loss power. it was a very dangerous situation to be in the car pool lane when losing power. i am a mechanic and a spark plug should not just eject itself. luckily my wife was able to maneuver the truck over and off the freeway. ford was contacted. they said they know of this issue with the spark plugs, but at this time it is the consumers responsibility to pay for the repairs. i feel it should be a recall. there has been thousand of complaints regarding this same issue and nothing has been done. *jb

Ford f-150 2002 5.4 engine was a ford certified vehicle. spits spark plug causing the vehicle to die in traffic. ford says its no problem, but when you go to the dealership, they know the problem without even raising the hood. replaced head. called ford customer service trying to get information on this problem (customer service lousy non informative about this problem acted like who cares.). look at all the other owners with this problem. *jb

Driving at 60 mph, pop, loss of power, noisy motor, stopped, opened hood to find blown #3 plug. blew coil from mount and damaged insulator. *jb

On thurs. 12-07, i was driving 40 mph when i heard a loud pop, the truck was running rough and loud. i pulled over, it blew a spark plug(#4). towed it to the dealership, was told the head would be replaced, then when i returned for the truck was told they would only repair the hole with a helicoil, which i found a service bulletin #0214 that states engine assemblies with aluminum cylinder heads repaired in vehicle have been found to leak coolant and/ or oil from the cylinder head gasket area. the dealership seems to think this is trivial, and refuses to replace the head under warranty. truck is an '02 f-150 lightning. 5.4 motor. *nm

My husband was driving to work and heard a loud pop. his truck was towed to a ford dealer and we were told it was the #3 spark plug blew out. warranty company refuses to fix it. i have had to lose 2 weeks of work so far so that my husband can go to work. it is costing us $2400.00 to fix his truck. we have found out that this is a common problem with these vehicles. *jb

Vehicle was always maintained correctly, while driving at approximately 25-30 miles per hour, there was a sudden popping noise, vehicle lost power which startled the driver and caused the vehicle to crash off the road. vehicle was returned to the road and brought to a parking lot. next day the vehicle was towed to mechanic and it was discovered that the spark plug was blown from the aluminum head. mechanic tapped the head and owner was forced to spend $600 dollars, or replace entire head for $3500. minor vehicle damage due to accident, if this occurred at higher speed unknown what could have happened. pregnant woman in the vehicle who was extremely scared due to noises and exhaust blowing into cabin of 02 f150 v8. *nm

I own a 2002 ford f 150 lightning with 45, 234 miles on it. my vehicle experienced some engine failure due to a spark plug shooting out of engine head. i believe it was the 3rd cylinder that failed. i was climbing onto a off ramp and just starting to accelerate when i heard this popping sound coming from the engine. i was accelerating normally when just like that the spark plug shot out. i bought the truck pre owned with 27,000 miles so i never thought to buy additional engine coverage. the truck was in good enough condition for the dealer to grant me a 5 year loan though. anyway i checked underneath the hood and saw the broken spark plug coil and the spark plug with ripped threads. i had the lightning towed to my how where it still sits. at this point in time i am making $466.46 monthly payments on a vehicle that i am unable to drive. i called ford about my problem and got nowhere b/c they said i was beyond the 30,000 mile warranty or the 3 year warranty. ford gave me an estimate to fix the damaged head for 3,600 hundred and 5,400 to do both. now from what i understand the 2003 ford lightnings do not experience spark plug issues b/c the engine were built with updated heads. that right there says that ford realizes that these trucks are defective to some degree. i am very frustrated in this matter b/c i spent 29,000 out of pocket for this truck and i can't even drive it. now i have to spend almost 6,000 to get it to driving condition. like 29,000 isn't enough money already? i work very hard in life to buy this truck i cant just pull that kind of money out just like that. if i have to join a class action law suit so be it. but all i am asking for is my ford f-150 lightning back i missed my truck.

I have a f150 2002 ford pickup with 55,000 miles on it. my parents and i had just finished lunch and got in my truck. i turned the key and we heard 2 loud popping noises and the motor started running rough (pulsing). turned the vehicle off, opened the hood only to discover the spark plug had blown out of the #8 hole and was laying down in a crevice on the engine and then rolled out of sight. we had to call a flatbed tow truck and were towed 82 miles back to north country ford, coon rapids, mn on a saturday night where we left the vehicle. on monday morning i found out to my surprise from the service department at north country ford that the extended warranty i have on the truck would not cover the $2,300 cost. north country sent out the head to have the holes drilled larger for the spark plugs. i have driven ford products for over 45 years but this will be the last ford unless ford owns up to this problem and does a recall and credits people like myself who have been inconvenienced. *jb

My 2002 ford f150 harley davidson pickup truck ejected a spark plug while driving on the highway . this is the third incident of failure and am concerned for my safety as the truck looses power while at highway speeds and could cause an accident . in addition the failing plug this time was one right under the fuel rail and the coil was prevented from continuing to pull out by the fuel rail adding concern that it could puncture and cause an engine fire .when contacting ford they basically took my information and offered no assistance . *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the caliper bracket bolts unscrewed on their own. the service dealer replaced the bolts. also, the serpentine drive belt fractured while traveling 50 mph, and caused the engine to overheat, and loss of steering control.

Ford f-150 blew out a spark plug from the head, this is a known problem and has happened to thousands of people and ford refuses to do anything about it. average cost of repair to the customer is 3500. *jb

I was driving down the road about 45 mph, when i heard a loud noise so i pulled over , found the pass side rear plug was shot out of the motor and laying on the top of the engine. the coil pack is cracked and the mounting bracket snapped off. i have done nothing to fix this yet!yes i have old parts. *jb

My 2002 ford f150 svt lightning ejected the very back passenger side spark plug. i was idling at a red light, a loud pop, and somehow drove the truck to the nearest ford dealer. (joe sartain ford, decatur, al) *nm

On two occasions within the last year, my ford f-150 with a triton 4.6 liter v8 engine has "blown a spark plug" causing a substantial loss financially and transportation wise. i came to find out that this is a prevalent issue with ford f-150 triton engines and i ask that a formal investigation, recall and, if possible, compensation be awarded to me and others having suffered the same fate. the most recent case occurred on saturday night april 1, 2006 when returning from a family wedding. *nm

Ford 5.4 v-8 triton engine spit spark plug my 2002 ford f-150 supercrew spit out the #3 spark plug. the repair was $500 to have the head re-threaded with no guarantee. dealer advised next time the head would need to be replaced at a cost of over $3000. *nm

The 2002 f150 lariet was running great, had not had any problems leading up to this incident. the number 7 spark plug ejected from the head, caused loss of power of the engine, taken to a ford dealer and they are telling us they can replace the head for $3300.00 our cost. i feel this is a defect in the head and ford should be responsible to replace. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated without warning while driving 60mph the number three spark plug came out of the head. the vehicle was towed home. after talking to the dealership, it was determined the head was not able to hold the spark plug in place. the head, coil for the spark plug and the gaskets need to be replaced. no repairs have been made.

Driving on the freeway, loop 375 el paso texas, we heard a loud bang. we thought we had a tire blowout. pulled over to the side of the road to discover for the second time a spark plug blew out of the head. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph, the engine made a popping noise without warning. the vehicle was pulled over and upon inspection, the contact found a spark plug on the engine. the vehicle was driven to the dealership. the dealership determined the spark plug blew out of the engine head. a new engine head was installed. updated 03/09/06. *jb